The Ring: Chapter 2

16 years later Katie O'toole is in possession of her mother's magic ring.

2014

"Katie hurry up you'll miss the bus," Lisa O'toole called. From upstairs, the 35 year old woman could hear her 16 year old niece respond. What was said, she couldn't quite tell, but at least Katie heard her.

For the last sixteen years this was routine for Lisa. Wake up, get ready, get Katie ready, make sure Katie got to school, and go to work. Wash, rinse, repeat. Motherhood wasn't something Lisa expected, but it was a role she readily accepted.

Sixteen years ago, Lisa was given the worst and best news. Kellie, her older sister, her role model died in childbirth, leaving behind her newborn daughter and Lisa's niece. At the time, Lisa felt she wasn't ready. She was 19, barely an adult herself, and attending college on a scholarship for volleyball. For a moment, she felt that giving custody to her parents, Martin and Marilyn was the best thing to do. That is until she read her sister's last will and testament.

Kellie wanted Lisa to care for her daughter.

Lisa was flabbergasted. Why her? She was the youngest of three daughters. She was the wild one, the one who gave her parents fits due to her rebellious nature and wild streak. Certainly her more grounded sister Ann would have been a better choice. At the time, Ann was about to graduate college. She already had a prestigious job lined up after graduation. Lisa thought Ann could certainly work. Certainly better than her more domineering mother.

Instead, Kellie choose Lisa. Lisa understood why her sister wouldn't choose her parents, despite her father being perhaps the gentlest soul she ever knew. Marilyn O'toole was a force of nature, her word was law and considering the feud Kellie and Marilyn had before her untimely passing, it made sense that her will would state that one of Kellie's sisters would care for Katie. It didn't mean though that things were easy.

Marilyn and Lisa fought about caring for Katie. Lisa's mother argued against the will, saying Lisa was too young, too immature to care for a child. The lawyer though stated that since Lisa was technically an adult, she was the primary caretaker. The fallout from this fight tore the family apart. Marilyn bitter and heartbroken that her eldest daughter wouldn't trust Katie with them. Ann, angered that Kellie choose Lisa over her. It eventually led to a heated argument during Katies first Thanksgiving. It would prove to be the last Thanksgiving the O'toole family would have together.

Those early years proved difficult for Lisa. Despite a settlement from the hospital for Kellie's death and a life insurance policy through her law firm, caring for an infant was no easy task. Thankfully, Lisa's teammates and her roommate Kumiko Tozawa were willing to help. As a result, Katie ended up becoming an unofficial mascot for the team.

Following her graduation, Lisa moved to southeastern Connecticut. Kumiko, it turned out, resided in the area. The pair starting a fashion business with Kumiko designing outfits for the voluptuous, athletic redhead. Alot of hard work led to the pair developing a successful small fashion business, capitalizing on Lisa's athletic looks to market swim wear and other athletic apparel. Once Lisa retired and moved behind the scenes, the pair began to branch out, employing other models, and increasing the size of her business.

"Katie," Lisa called once more as she poured a thermos of coffee. "Let's go! I'm not going to have time to drop you off at school if you miss the bus."

"Okay," Katie replied. The teenage girl finished brushing her teeth, spitting out her toothpaste before fixing her hair. Taking a moment to examine herself, Katie began to appraise her appearance.

Katie's hazel eyes sparkled, her blonde hair cascading just past her shoulders. Despite Lisa working within the fashion industry, Katie preferred a simpler, down to earth, look consisting of a simple top, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Despite being a decent athlete and a member of the track team, Katie kept to herself. The one person she considered a friend was the girl she had known since preschool, Kellie Carlson.

Kellie Carlson, inspite of being Katie's best friend, was a complete opposite. Shy, brilliant, yet also insecure the pair met in preschool, quickly becoming the best of friends. Throughout elementary and middle school, Katie and Kellie were inseparable, the pair closer than some sisters. It helped that the pair lived next door to eachother, Lisa noting that the girls would often play or talk in the connecting backyards. In fact, Lisa was almost positive that Katie had snuck over to Kellie's house for secret sleepovers on more than one occasion. She couldn't be hundred percent sure, but considering the girls windows were 10 feet away and a very climbable tree sat between the two, Lisa had her suspicions.

Quickly grabbing her purse, Katie was about to bound out the door when she paused. Sitting upon her nightstand, was an old golden ring.

The ring itself was a gift given to Katie on her 16th birthday four months ago. When Lisa gave it to her, she explained that Katie's mother had it with her when Katie was born. Since then, Katie took it with her whenever she left the house. As odd as it sounded, for Katie it felt like her mom was with her, besides this little ring seemed to bring her luck.

"Can't forget about you," Katie smiled as she quickly slipped the ring on her finger.

Saying goodbye, Katie sped towards bus stop, immediately seeing Kellie waiting for her. Sporting her usual hooded sweatshirt and jeans, the teen brushed her honey blonde hair out of her eyes before offering Katie a soft smile. "You're late," she said. "Again!"

"Hey the bus isn't here yet," Katie smirked. "So that makes me early."

Kellie giggled as the bus now pulled up, the pair climbing on board before taking their usual seats. The trip to school would take about 20 minutes, giving the pair plenty of time to talk.

With May almost over, and June and the end of Sophomore year edging closer, Katie and Kellie talked of their summer plans. Both teens talked of their plans. Babysitting was on the teens to do list, the pair making a nice chunk of change watching neighborhood kids. The girls also talked of possibly getting their drivers license. Lisa and Kellie's mom Maggie were both apprehensive for different reasons. Lisa, the former wild child, worried that Katie would follow in her footsteps. Maggie, unable or unwilling to accept that her only child was growing up. In both cases, the teens agreed their mothers worried too much.

As the pair made their way to homeroom, they continued to talk; unnoticed by most students. Katie and Kellie were accustomed to this treatment. Neither girl was popular nor unpopular, simply faces in the crowd that few paid attention to. While it drew the pair closer, it also made for a lonely existence. All they had was eachother and no one else seemed to care. Still, they did wish sometimes that they had more friends.

"So any plans this weekend," Kellie asked as they sat down.

"Pretty sure my plans are the same as yours," Katie chuckled. "I don't have a track meet this weekend, so I'm free."

"I know," Kellie stammered. "It's just...hasn't your mom been trying to have you and Mika hangout? I mean, isn't her aunt like best friends with your mom?"

"Lisa tried that when we were in middle school," Katie replied. "But, Mika and I just run in different circles. She seems cool, but she's got better things to do than hangout with me and I don't want to force it."

Kellie nodded, silently breathing a sigh of relief. Never the most confident girl, she worried that if Katie began to make other friends, she would be left behind.

"Speaking of friendships why don't you hangout with Mary," Katie grinned.

"Mary Elise McKinnon," Kellie exclaimed. Katie giggled at Kellie's outburst, watching her friend turn five different shades of red. "I don't know?"

"You guys talk at school all the time," Katie countered. "And you two are like the smartest kids in our grade. Why wouldn't you hangout?"

"That's different," Kellie countered. "Mary and I are okay at school, but she runs in different circles than I do. Besides, she's best friends with Claudia Harris. Why would someone like Claudia want to hangout with me?" Katie paused, thinking of Claudia.

Claudia Harris was the most popular girl in their class. Blonde, petite, pretty with ample curves for a 16 year old. The popular extrovert was the epitome of high school popularity. Claudia Harris and Mika Tozawa were one and two when it came to girls every high school boy wanted to date or every high school girl wanted to be. For Katie and Kellie, two girls who most students barely remembered, they doubted those two even knew who they were.

"You know if we're reaching," Kellie stated. "Why don't you hangout with Sammy?"

"Samantha Wheeler," Katie asked in alarm.

"Yeah," Kellie replied. "I mean, she's on the track team with you. I've seen you talk with her."

"Yeah about sports," Katie stated. "She's like the best athlete on the team. You know she hangs out with all the popular kids. Same way that Mary hangs out with them. I'm pretty sure she forgot my name."

"I'm just saying," Kellie shrugged. "You probably have a better chance of hanging out with Sammy than I would Mary."

"Maybe," Katie said quietly, before pausing. Carefully she now studied Kellie, wondering why Kellie would be so focused on making new friends. "Is everything okay Kel?"

"I don't know," Kellie sighed. "I guess, its just.... sometimes I wish we could make more friends. I don't know, its stupid, but I feel like we're missing out on so much. Maybe...maybe I'm just jealous that all the other girls seem like they do all sorts of cool things and we seem to be left behind."

Katie reached over, a soft smile on her face as she touched Kellie's hand. As much as she didn't want to admit, she sometimes felt that way too. It was always just the two of them. No other friends, just eachother for as long as they could remember. Maybe it was just teenage insecurity, but they wondered what it would be like to have more than just eachother as friends.

"I know," Katie said softly. "Sometimes, I wish we had more friends too."

Katie and Kellie gasped as the ring on Katie's finger began to glow. Staring in shock, they watched as the air around them seemed to ripple as if alive, before spreading out like some sort of distortion wave, unnoticed by everyone else. As quickly as it happened it stopped, leaving the two teens perplexed.

"What just happened," Kellie asked.

Katie had no answer, simply shrugging as the bell signaling the end of homeroom sounded.

As the pair exited their homeroom and began the walk to first period, they talked briefly about the odd experience. What could have caused the ring to glow like that? It seemed so odd. Approaching Kellie's first class, Katie looked to say goodbye, when two familiar figures approached.

"Hey Kellie," Mary Elise smiled.

"Hi Katie," Samantha said excitedly.

Katie and Kellie looked to one another, confused by Mary and Samantha's greetings. This was definitely out of the ordinary. "Um hi," they replied in unison, each raising an eyebrow.

"Are you guys busy this weekend," Samantha asked. "It's supposed to be nice and a bunch of us are heading to the beach. You want to come?"

"The beach?!"

"Yeah the beach," Mary Elise answered. "C'mon it'll be fun and we never really get a chance to hangout outside of school. I guarantee you'll enjoy yourselves."

Katie and Kellie gawked, looking between one another before glancing down at the ring. Had this ring granted their wish? Was this thing actually magical?! That was something the pair would need to examine after school, for now though they excitedly said yes.

As they said their goodbyes, Katie and Kellie exchanged a glance. After-school, they would need to test this ring, and find out what it was.